MY BOGGY BLOG: find your way through the murk

History Day

Just for the record, today we have a temp of -10 degrees and the windchill is at -32. So today we Minnesotans laugh *with* you East Coasters. Through chattering teeth!

History Day is the big project of middle-school and high-school students around here. I know it is a national program, with competitions, but not everyone participates in it. At our school, it is a requirement, so my two 7th graders are doing it for the second year in a row. And I'm glad, although it is a big ordeal with great amounts of research required. I'm glad because it really gives the kids the experience of organizing and disciplining themselves to complete a big project. They get to choose a topic that interests them within the yearly theme, which this year has something to do with exploration and discovery. So DS is working on the history of SETI (the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence) and DD is working on the many facets of torture (we tease her because she has always had an interest in torture-- just look at website listed on my links page and you'll see the evidence.)

What's so great is that the kids get to learn about something that they really have an interest in, and feel off their interest to make a meaningful display or paper or presentation. Last Sunday I was sitting at the kitchen table with them while they were reading their research books, and I was researching my latest children's nonfiction book assigment on a weather-related topic. We would each read and take notes, and when something "cool" caught our eyes, we would share a tidbit with each other. There is so much to learn about in this world!

As I continue to research this book of mine, I'm realizing what a pleasant process it is for me. Whereas I never liked the researching of magazine articles I've written, this kind of research really appeals to me and I'm looking forward to the challenge of writing the book. My mind is starting to turn with the idea that maybe I could write more of this type of book on my own, without waiting for an assigment, and just peddle it around. A new direction for me to play around with!